Monday, December 21, 2009

Wonderful Christmastime!

As a continuation of my facebook post.............I get to talk to my bro in 4 days!! I'm SO ecstatic about it all. Though I've heard that once you see your missionary again after the 2 years, it soon feels like he never left, I'm not feeling it. This 2 years have been forever and a day, and I'm READY to have my brother home! Not to mention one of my closest friends who will come home about a month before Matthew. Feels like 4 months is an eternity away...so I'm glad that for now I have another "countdown" thing going on. 4 days sounds A LOT better than 4 months. He's one of my bestest friends, and i'm just ready........so ready.

On a lighter note, besides hearing from Matthew on Christmas day, life has been great! The semester ended last Tuesday for me, and I got all A's again (which is definitely a wonderful Christmas present), and now I only have 4 more classes before moving on to a University; and i'm hoping that, in doing summer courses on top of spring and winter courses, I'll be done in the Spring of 2011. But I guess we'll see. For now I'm just taking it one step at a time.

This Christmas has been a little less stressful than the last 2 have been for me as I've been working the past two Christmas' and though Deseret Book is a very peaceful place to be, and the music is absolutely beautiful, etc...working there during the busiest season of the year can get very stressful and tiresome. So it feels good to be able to just be at home getting daily chores done and preparing for times ahead....like Christmas!

So a guesstimation of how Christmas day will be: wake up around 7:30ish am because Benjamin will not be able to take it any longer; open stockings/presents/while taking TONS and TONS of pictures (love pictures, but I'm not to fond of the whole 'waking up without showering right away' idea...and then taking pix on top of that! *sigh*); then Matthew should call around 9:30ish am our time; then we have our traditional Christmas breakfast; pack up; load the car and travel to Utah to visit close friends and family. That SHOULD be the sum of the day--which is beginning to sound like a VERY tiring day...but fun nonetheless. :)

All in all...Christmas is probably my favorite season-a time to spend with the ones we love, and a time to remember our Savior. In this beautiful season I pray that we will all be able to spend time with the ones that we love, that we will all remember the true meaning of this wonderful season...and that we'll take a step back and remember to appreciate all that we've been blessed with and all that we have as well as for the people in our lives that we care about the most. Love to all. And a Very Merry Christmas! <3

Thursday, October 22, 2009

MOYO is back Baby!!!

Wow, well this last Sunday we had our first Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus meeting of the season and I cannot BEGIN to express my excitement for this new season. There were SO many people there. I had begun to become discouraged last season because directors were leaving and the organization just wasn't up to snuff like it was about 6 years ago when I first joined the group. But now that gloomy and discouraged feeling is long gone!!
We got Brother Jeremy Woolstenhulme back for the Symphony which greatly excites me because he was the original director, and he's just AMAZING! And we have Brother Orgill as the Choir director for our Winter season. He's a new addition for us, but he fit in just right on Sunday when we ran through our music for the first time, and I just could NOT be happier. I love this organization. I have always loved it. If no one has ever heard the group play/sing, or has the talent and hasn't joined us yet...PLEASE DO! When I first joined I was scared stiff because I felt like I wasn't good enough for the group, but they welcomed me with open arms and made me a member of the family immediately. It's an experience of a lifetime which can never be replaced.
We have the amazing opportunity of sharing our testimonies of the gospel through the music we play, and I can testify that the Spirit has been with us a grand majority of the time we rehearse and perform. We can feel of each other's testimonies through our instruments and learn and grow so much each season we spend together.
I. LOVE. MOYO. And I'm sooooo excited that it's back! I've missed it tremendously.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~Jean Baptiste Massieu

Oh how I love this beautiful season, mostly because of the weather and the good feelings and memories that come with it...most principally because it reminds me of my many blessings. I cannot even begin to express in words the gratitude that dwells in my heart at this time. What am I grateful for?


For Family...






Friends...





The Church...




Music...


The Prophet...

My Life and....My Savior...My Redeemer.


It's not yet thanksgiving, but if there is one thing I have learned within the course of my life, having experienced loses, and having seen for myself how short this life is I know that there is always room and time to express gratitude to the ones you love and feel indebted to for all they have done for you. There are so many people that I know who have affected my life for the better, and I have never taken the time to thank them. Whether it has been by doing an act of kindness for me, or having been there for me when I have fallen to help pick me up, or have accepted me for my faults and loved my anyway, or have been a gentle example for me in the way that they live their lives or handle certain situations....or have simply smiled and said hello. Thank you. Thank you for being angels. Thank you for showing your light and for standing tall. Thank you for loving me. I hope that I may one day be able to express my gratitude and love for those that have had an impact on my life for the better in a way that may fully convey my feelings. Because of you and your example I pray that I may be a better person, and that I may live my life in such a way that people may look to me as an example...but not because of my light, but rather because I may be so worthy as to act as a reflector of His light.


May we all remember to thank those who have shown us the way, and who have acted as reflectors of His light. May we all show thanks in this beautiful time of the year for all that we have, and for those that we so dearly love.


~Amy



"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven." Johannes A. Gaertner










Thursday, September 17, 2009

Update

So much has happened since my last post. First and foremost...mom is back! Sure us girls were able to cook and clean and tend to our needs and the needs of Benjamin and my dad for the most part, but there was an irreplacible gap in our lives for 3 weeks, so it's good to have her home. Only 6 more months and I'll finally feel whole again, which I have not felt for about a year and a half now.
Next on my list of happenings is that school began once more on the 31st of August, which makes me both happy and disappointed (for lack of a better word) at the same time. Happy because I really enjoy learning, and I have noticed that my love for learning has increased with each year that passes. Disappointed because I really only had 2 weeks of summer between courses, and I'm beginning to feel the effects of it. But, as is life, it must go on, so here I am in school waiting for my next class to begin.
Thirdly, during the two weeks that I was in summer break I was able to help a good friend of mine with packing up belongings in a certain amount of time so that a family who was to rent their house could begin moving their things in at the end of approximately 3 weeks. It sounds like a lot of work, but we had a lot of fun within those couple of weeks, and I wholeheartedly miss the time we were able to spend with the Staheli's, so I hope to be able to take a trip to St. George sometime in the near future so we can pay them a visit.
In reference to St. George...my Uncle Josh and his wife, Bonnie and their three kids came from their home in St. George for a visit and for a little family gathering at Grandpa's house last Saturday. Jessica and Steve were there with Jaylie and Afton...Jamie was there for a little while as well and left Brayden and Bernadette there to be taken home by Steve and Jessica. And of course we were all there, (with the exception of Matthew) and Grandpa and Cherrie were there as well. We had a great time just sitting at the dinner table eating and talking while the little ones played around the house. All the men went out to play around the pool for a time as well as they watched the kids as they swam, and overall it was a lot of fun. Hopefully we can keep up with our goal of having a little gathering about once every couple of months because I really enjoy family time!
Here's a list of future things I will try and blog about...I have to have the list else I will forget...
1. Scrapbooking adventures with Jenni
2. Missionary update
3. Journal of Blessings
4. The art of cooking...without burning anything!
5. Snowflakes
6. MOYO

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Tribute to Mami

So, mom left yesterday to Utah to go to Italy with Jenny, and Abuelita Corazon. They are headed for Italy tomorrow and they will be gone for 3 weeks! I really don't know what I'm going to do without my mom here with us for that long. It's times like these though that you really remember to appreciate your parents for all they do, and for the love they show for you. I know I'm going to miss her, but the time she'll be able to spend with Tias Susana, Marita, and Kerly (who she hasn't seen in 11 years!!!) will be well worth the time we are apart. I cannot possibly imagine being apart from my siblings for 2 years (in Matthew's case) let alone 11 years! Love you Mami and can't wait until you get home and have stories to tell about your trip!

Priscilla and Blaine


Priscilla De La Vega and Blaine Davis were married in the Las Vegas Temple August 8th, 2009!!! Yay! I'm so happy for them both. I've known Priscilla for a number of years now since she and her family became members of the church and joined the ward family. The reception was absolutely beautiful and there were many friends and family members there to join in on the celebration! Priscilla was stunning and I wish them both many happy days ahead. Here are a few pix from the happy day. :) Congrats Blaine and Priscilla Davis!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Amber's Married!

So last weekend Amber Winn got married...yay! I went with Jenni and a few others to the Charleston Chapel on Friday at around 10:30am to help set up for the reception. It was soooo much fun! Everyone was tired and stressed out, but we were all excited and at the end, all overjoyed at how beautiful the room looked. During the set up, Jenni, her (cousin?) Courtney, and I were setting up the two arches for the family line to stand in front of, and we were getting kinda tired, so Amber cranked out the ipod and played some disney tunes, and we were pumped again and having a blast singing along while working. I've decided that Jenni is one of my favoritist people ever!


After the setting up was done at around 6:30ish, Jenni and I went to Chipotles to meet up with Amber and the rest of the girls for her "bachelorette" type thing, and we had some fun with them til around 9:30pm. I was soooo tired by the time I got home, but couldn't help being way excited for the day ahead.


Saturday morning Amber was to be sealed at 9:00am, but my mom and I headed over to the temple at around 8:30 and I sat with Jenni and some children she was taking care of in the foyer while my mom went in to the sealing. We were out there for a little while, and seriously did a count down to when Amber Winn would officially be Amber Turner...so fun! After we went outside to wait for the traditional walk-out by the bride and groom, and we waited, and waited because the sealing ceremony had begun a little late, and the bride's bouquet was at the chapel across the street along with the other flowers so a groomsman had to go and get them. When the time finally came for them to come out, we kept having false alarms with others coming out of the same doors, such as some of the grandparents and friends...so after all the hustle, I decided to record them coming out so it'd be remembered!!!






Afterwards there were tons of pix taken, though the heat nearly killed us all! Amber was absolutely radiant, the most beautiful bride ever! We all went to a luncheon put on by Mike's side of the family, and it was much needed after being out in the heat. My mom and I took Jenni home and then took Tiff, Ash, and Benjamin to 7/11 to get free slurpies (couldn't forget that!) and then we went off to the chapel at 3pm to start working on the food and the last minute set up stuff. We met Jenni and her dad there, along with other sisters who were to help with the food, and we (thankfully) got everything done, and when Sister Winn brought the cake (which she made herself) everything looked beautiful and fell into place.


The reception was a hit! It started at 6:30 and went until 9:00. It was one of the most beautiful weddings, it was so much fun to be a part of. One of the best weekends ever!





The missionary


I'm so excited to say that Matthew has been serving in the Rio de Janeiro North mission for the past 15 months...which means he has only 9 months left!!! These are a few of the pix he sent us at the beginning of this month. As of right now he's serving as a Zone Leader in his mission and is learning more and more as to how to trust the Lord in all things.

By they way...he's still the same old, crazy, goofy, and fun loving kid he's ever been. Oh...and he doesn't wear glasses, they're his comp's, but I must say he does look pretty good!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Start of Something New

Alright, so here I go. I've decided to blog what's been going on in my life because I STINK at keeping up on my journal, and hopefully I'll be good and keep up on it, though I can't make any promises. We'll see how this goes.... :)